Step 2: Create the Calculated Field

In the Create Calculated Field dialog box, name the field. In this example, the calculated field is named Region Filter.

In the formula field, enter the following formula: IF [Select a Region] = [Region] THEN [Region] END, and then click OK.

Step 3: Create the View

Double-click State to create the map view.

Drag the Region field to the Color shelf on the Marks card.

Click the drop-down arrow on the Marks card and select Filled Map.

In the Data window, click the Coffee Chain data set.

Drag Number of Records to Label on the Marks card.

In the Data window, click the Superstore Sales data set.

Drag the Region Filter calculated field to the Filters shelf.

In the Filter dialog box, select the check box next to Null and the check box next to Exclude, and then click OK.

Additional Information

It is not possible to filter a secondary database at the row level using the Filters shelf, but it is possible to use a parameter in conjunction with a calculated field to filter the secondary data source at the row level. Whereas a filter simply excludes rows of data, logic can be applied to a calculated field to zero out certain rows if the given condition is met.

The calculated field must be built in the secondary data source, and must check to see if the current row matches the parameter selection, and return a value if it does, null or zero otherwise.

Quick filters cannot filter across data sources.

The parameter should contain all possible filter values.

The above steps apply to versions of Tableau Desktop 9.3 and earlier. For Tableau Desktop 10 and later versions, see Cross-data filtering in the Online Help documentation.

Discuss this article... Feedback Forum
Did this article resolve the issue?

Thank you for providing your feedback on the effectiveness of the article.